Child of the Wilderness
by Sylleth
Summary: Two hearts can be bonded by love's silky strand. And for eternity those hearts will be together and there's nothing in the world that could cut through that strand. Erik/OC After book/movie Rated for language and scenes in future plz R
1. Prologue

Fog comes during early nights of fall, slowly crawling and swallowing everything in its path, making everything disappear into nothingness.

During such nights there is only one thing that fog doesn't hide and it's an oak tree on the edge of the road. It stands tall over everything else. The moonlight that shines on the tree, gives an illusion, of the oak being amongst the stars. The oak tree, the only real thing left in this fog swallowed night.

Some say that during such nights if one looks up at the tree, between the glowing branches, there's and image of two people dancing in the light of the stars, there's nothing left real this night for this couple ,in a world of fog , but the love they feel for each other.

Others say it's a fake, a foolish childish story and there's nothing of kind that can exists in this life. Who's to say whose right and to say who's wrong? I always was told that people in love see a different world.

Two hearts can be bonded by love's silky strand. And for eternity those hearts will be together and there's nothing in the world that could cut through that strand, making them pull apart. Two people in love are stronger than the world itself. And even when there's nothing left and everything's fallen apart the love that holds those two together will always be around.

Just like that tree on the side of the road that stands above the rest of the world. It took hours and days, weeks and years for the tree to grow, but now it looks down at everything else from among the stars themselves.


	2. Scars

**I hope you're gonna enjoy the story ^^ I tried to mix the book description with the movie because I mean Gerry is just niiiice looking but he sort of beats the whole 'living corpse' thing so I just mixed the two together and ta-daah! Well anyways, give me pointers and stuff because I need them...a lot :) Thank you for reading!**

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Quietly I moved away from camp, unnoticed by the people. A heavy and tiresome sigh escaped my lips. The river was just over a hill and I reached it I listened to the soft rushing of water and crickets playing their midnight love songs. It was a warm spring night, the stars and young moon lighting the night sky. I knelt down into the dew kissed grass and began to wash my face. The cold beads of water ran down my neck and behind my dress causing me to squirm slightly. Now I wished I would have taken a something with me, something warmer to cover my bare shoulders. Quietly I hummed a soft tune my mother had sung to me on many occasions when I was little. I could still hear her voice cutting through the loud thunder of a storm and smiled remembering her face. How I wished that she were still here with me, her soft hands brushing my cheek, fighting away all my childish fears. But…she had passed. She had died and I could do nothing about it. On many occasions I had cried and if my tears and memories could be put together into a golden stairway up to heaven, I would rush up there and take her back.

"Child of the wilderness,

Born into emptiness,

Learn to be lonely,

Learn to find your way in darkness..." I sang in a hushed voice, letting the water drip from my fingers.

"Who will be there for you

Comfort and care…for you…" I trailed off when I felt someone's eyes on my back. Slowly I stood and turned around to find a dark shape by a tree. I would have missed it and thought it a shrub if not for the slight movement. My breath was caught in my throat and a small pang of fear lurched in my stomach. "Hello?" I said nervously, my voice a little higher than usual. The shape moved a bit more and I saw something white cover the right side of his face. Was it...a mask? I think I remember hearing people talk about a new...person...joining the Freak Show a town back. I hated that term for a person. _Freak_. No one can chose what they will look like, you are born the way you are born and yet…there are those people who judge themselves higher than others. The true _freaks_ are the ones that pay money to go _laugh_ at another's misfortune.

My mother told me of a tale once, about a young boy that travelled with one of her caravans. He belonged to the freak show because he was born with a horrible distortion. She never told me what that distortion was, but said that anyone who laid eyes upon him would hate him, and there was not a single soul in the world that loved him. Even his own mother sold him so she wouldn't have to look at him. Every time she told me the story she would sing me a song, that same song I had started to sing.

"Are you...are you new, _monsieur_?" I asked quietly taking a slow step forward.

"Hardly," came a deep voice from the huddle figure that slowly stretched up to its full length.

"Oh..." came my reply. "Well umm...I'm Allyth, one of the gypsies. You probably shouldn't stay here long. It's already late." I muttered swallowing hard but my throat remained dry. I received a grunt in response. I bit the inside of my cheek not sure of what to say anymore and instead started to walk back toward the camp. "I'll...see you around, _non_?" I said over my shoulder but the figure was already gone. I looked around frowning but all I could find were trees and bushes.

"_Bonjour_, Alyss." I greeted when she stormed into the tent we shared. Alyss was one of the few friends I had and over time became like a sister. It was strange, considering she worked as a whore for Madam Sybil, and the fact was, was that I loathed that uh…_occupation_, so to say. Partially because my mother was forced into the bitter business and after she had passed, Madam Sybil had tried to do the same with me. Luckily I managed to wriggle my way out of the situation, still, I was left with that hatred. But somehow Alyss was an exception, having her standards and attitude that caught my eye a few years ago so when she didn't say anything and instead fell on her makeshift bed, I raised an eyebrow letting her know I was interested.

"It's that _bâtard _Mason!" she said finally, removing her earrings. I smiled at her sympathetically.

Mason was my other friend. He was a good man but…Alyss and him didn't get along too well. See, the thing is that he secretly was in love with her but of course, to keep his reputation he didn't say anything. On numerous times he would try to get Alyss out of the business she was in now, promising her money and wealth when in truth, he didn't have anything. Still, it didn't stop him. But of course, Alyss refused at called him trash and other names and he would then drive away her 'customers'.

"What did he do this time?" I asked, laying on my side with my head under my arm.

"Same thing as always! _Bâtard fichu_!" she cursed again changing out of her usual work 'clothes' and blowing out the lantern that sat in the middle. We drifted into a small silence till I spoke hoping to feed my curiosity.

"Alyss have you heard anything about the...the new uh, _artiste _in the freak show?"I heard a shuddering breath being drawn in and immediately the mood of our conversation changed.

"You haven't seen?" Alyss almost gasped and I frowned slightly, wondering what she knew.

"You know me Alyss, I don't like to laugh at other people." she scoffed slightly muttering something about Mason but I ignored it.

"This one...Allyth I've _seen_ people look bad but...but... oh _Dieu_ Allyth his _face_!" She whispered very quietly, as if afraid that someone would hear. There was a long pause at which I waited for her response.

"Well? _Que?_ Tell me." I hissed impatiently and maybe a little too demandingly.

"I was passing by, one day, when I saw. He…he wears nice clothes, or so I've seen, but…but…but his _visage_...it was so horrid Allyth, as though the Devil himself forged it. One side-one side is almost handsome but the other..." I could see her small figure shiver slightly. "The place where the eye is supposed to be, it's...it's so deep in his skull I swear it's like he's a corpse! And the hair grows in patches, not covering his right side of the skull at all! And the skin there is so thin. Oh God Allyth, the nose seems to-to somehow..." she trailed off and lay silent for a while. "Please, let me sleep. I don't want to think about it. _Bonne nuit…_"

"_Bonne nuit_…" I whispered back .So she turned facing away from me and I heard her breaths grow calmer and steadier till finally she fell asleep. I lay for a while trying to imagine the horrible corpse that Alyss had described. Could it really be as she says? A man built up of death? I shuddered slightly at the thought and brought the covers up to my chin but still my body felt cold. I tossed for an eternity as it seemed till finally sleep found me but not for long. But a few hours later I woke up trembling from the nightmares that filled my head of walking corpses. Alyss slept peacefully and I didn't want to disturb her so grabbing my violin I very silently left the tent.

_**Erik's PoV**_

For hours I lay awake, afraid to as much as close my eyes, in fear that _her_ face would appear again. Even after she left, even after all these months her beautiful, angelic face haunted my every dream, my ever memory, driving me insane each night. Not even alcohol could keep her away. She fled from me with her sweetheart, left me; a pitiful creature squirming in the mud. For _months_ I had wondered from city to city, alley way to alley way trying to find death but it seemed that even death wasn't taking pity on me, even death was laughing at my fate. Maybe I had already died? Maybe…this was my hell? My fingers formed fists, nails digging into my flesh, my jaw clenching tighter.

"Oh Christine_, Mon amour!_" I whimpered like a weak creature, curling up on the cold ground of my small tent. Maybe joining a circus was not such a great idea but…where else could I go? They welcomed me eagerly once they saw my face, but no one dared approach me. No one as much made eye contact with me, just like in the_ Opera Populaire_, people feared me.

As I was thinking about the caravan…a face drifted across my thoughts. That surprised face of the girl earlier this night. She saw me, and even with my mask, she feared me though…maybe that was just the shock of me being there? No, no certainly not, she was afraid. She was no older than Christine but…but she was nothing like her. Her hair was red and wild, the face was less delicate and skin tan rather than the perfect pale that belonged to my Christine. Oh Christine…oh my living wife! My living wife that I would never see again! A strangled sob left my throat and no longer able to restrain the tears, they spilled onto the ground. And through my sobs I began to hear music.

Note after sad note formed _music. _It was as though, someone was answering my anguished cries, as though someone was calling out to me. Telling me I wasn't alone. My tears ceased and I listened to the beauty of a violin, but the sound was far away. Wanting to hear more, I grabbed my mask and fled the tent. Outside the music travelled on the wind and I did my best to follow it into the right direction, into the trees. My footsteps were soft on the ground and the music grew louder until I came to an edge of a small glade…and in the glade stood the girl.

Her eyes were closed and her body flowed with the music, the violin secure under her chin, arm moving gracefully back and forth. Her face was fixed into concentration and it seemed like nothing in this world could stop her. I slumped against a tree, my mouth parting a little at the sorrowful yet somehow _happy _melody. How beautiful it was…how good it was to hear the sound of music, especially _this _sound. Mesmerized by the melody for a moment I forgot about Christine, about the sorrows of my life and even about my face...then suddenly one of her string snapped and I feared that she would stop but she didn't…no she went on. She kept playing, determined to finish. As the last note died out on the wind, she opened her eyes and examined the violin. Calmly I waited for her to fix the string, hoping and praying that she would play again. But an animal seemed to scurry across some bushes behind me and the girl, Allyth I believe, heard.

Her head snapped up and she scanned the area until her eyes came to rest on _me_. I stayed perfectly still, hoping that she thought I was just a tree or a shadow but her eyes never left my spot. And then she began to walk, one foot in front of the other, toward me. Every muscle in my body tensed and something in my head screamed for me to move, to run but it was as though my legs were made of led, preventing me to as much as twitch. She came to a stop a few feet away from me, lowering her violin.

"Hello…_monsieur_." She greeted politely. "I…I hope I didn't wake you. I thought I was far enough." She whispered. My throat seemed to dry to speak and I swallowed once…twice, and a third time before managing to answer.

"You played beautifully." I said in a hoarse voice and a smile crept up on her young face.

"You really think so?" she muttered cheerfully and I was taken aback by the mood. Why wasn't she…afraid?

"_Oui_." I answered simply.

"So do you…do you play anything?" She dared to ask shyly.

"_Oui_." I replied again, not trusting my voice.

"What do you play?" she questioned, brining her violin to her chest and hugging it close.

"Many instruments..." I replied, clearing my throat uncomfortably. She only smiled back at me, her smile warm and sincere.

"Well, do you sing too then?" She pressed on further.

"_Oui_." I breathed with a slight nod, pressing harder against the tree.

"Could…could you teach me? I'm not very good, I mean, I only know how much my _mère_ taught me." She said that's when my jaw set once more. I moved away from the tree, shaking my head.

"No…no _je suis désolé._" And with those final words I did what I should have done in the first place.

I fled.


End file.
